[Case Study] How Laura Built A 6-Figure Social Media Agency In Less Than A Year
If you’re not on social media, you will fall behind in the next 5 years.
Hello, introduce yourself and briefly share what you do and your work
My name is Laura Bernhard, and I hit 6 figures in less than a year in business. I’m a social media strategist for million-dollar businesses. I built my entire business off of my LinkedIn network of 8,000 followers.
I help busy business owners who care about social media but don’t want to put in the time to learn social media. My clients understand that the future of business is social media – they do not want to fall behind! We act as their social media team – strategy, copywriter, graphic designer, editor, scheduler. We work with them to stand out in their field and actually make money with social media.
I worked a 9 to 5 while freelancing for 3 years. After reaching the Director of Marketing at a tech company, I officially launched Marketing Bound Agency.
Let’s start with a round of rapid-fire questions…
What’s your most controversial social media hot take?
If you’re not on social media, you will fall behind in the next 5 years. You may not even have a business anymore. Why? Most businesses generating $1.5 million or less are surviving through referrals. Once the referrals run out, there’s nothing to rely on. Social media acts as multiple streams of leads – when done right.
What’s your screen time and most used app?
It’s for research purposes. Obviously. 3 hours. TikTok. Maybe 4 hours.
Have you ever gone viral for something completely unexpected? Tell us about it.
Yes. I went viral for a TikTok about bread. I ended up deleting the video from my profile, but it had over 1 million views. This happened in 2019/2020. I also went ‘viral’ on LinkedIn. The post reached over 100,000 people, and it was about working remotely. Note: Reaching 100,000 people on LinkedIn is considered viral.
What’s your go-to strategy for dealing with internet trolls? Are you a muter or a blocker?
I block trolls. Life is too short to deal with losers.
What’s a social media myth you’d like to debunk once and for all?
People complain when their social media doesn’t work. It’s not the algorithm, it’s not your graphics, it’s not the title of your video. The reason is because you don’t understand your audience. I know that’s the most cliche thing you’ve ever heard, but let me give you an example of how NOT understanding your audience impacts your social media.
I had a client who was a web developer. I was doing a marketing audit for him. He asked me to review some posts. I noticed they were very technical. So I asked him, “Would this content help your current clients or the latest prospect you spoke to?” And it was at that moment that he realized that he wasn’t creating content for his ideal audience. He was creating content that interested HIM.
Your content needs to serve YOUR audience. And most people do not know what that means. The best way to understand your audience is to talk to them. Reach out to strangers if you’re a new agency, and talk to your current clients if you already have clients.
If a lawyer can get leads from TikTok, you can too.
How were you introduced to the social media industry?
The story starts off slow, but hang in there. I went to university for marketing. I’ve worked in marketing for a decade. Along the way, I realized I could definitely offer my services and turn it into an agency. Unfortunately, I started working for an agency. I learned a lot, but it was not sunshine and rainbows. During my first week on the job, my boss casually told me in a conversation, “You’re charming, but I don’t know how far that will get you.”
Needless to say, it was toxic. And I convinced myself I would never run an agency after that horrible experience. Enter my mentor, who coached me through putting an offer together. It took almost a year to finally launch the agency confidently. It was thanks to someone who believed in me that I have my agency today. Now, I run my agency with my contractors and clients top of mind. Your agency will not work without them.
Any tips that helped you juggle a full-time job and freelancing?
When managing a 9 to 5 and freelancing, it’s easy to hate on your job because it’s taking you away from what you want to do. I learned that that job is what allows you to build your business with less stress. Your job is your practice, your playground, your test run. It sets you up for knowing how to manage your own business. Your employers are a blueprint. You learn what to do and what not to do. Never put down your job. It’s what allows your business to be great.
You should never charge hourly. Do not fall into that trap. You will burn out overdelivering while being underpaid. It’s not good for anyone.
Which social media channels have you had the most success with?
LinkedIn – Most people my age or younger would not think of LinkedIn as a sound platform because of all the fluffy content, but there is money to be made on the platform. I built my entire business from my LinkedIn network.
TikTok – I helped build my husband’s TikTok to over 150,000 followers. As a lawyer, he receives 15-20 monthly leads from the platform. If a lawyer can get leads from TikTok, you can too. I now help several businesses generate leads from TikTok, LinkedIn and YouTube. Here is how we got him an additional 5 leads per month without additional effort. The longer we work on his social media, the better the results. Unfortunately, people give up before they see what’s possible.
The best social media strategies are not about going viral; they are about addressing your K.I.R.O.
To build the best social media strategy and get sales, evaluate your:
K for Knowledge: Be honest with yourself about how much you know about your audience and the social media platforms. Get help accordingly.
Example: My lawyer client had less than 100 TikTok followers and got an $8,000 case file. Why? My knowledge of the platform + their law expertise = winning formula.
I for Industry: Some industries require more trust-building. Examples: Finance. Lawyers. Some industries have longer sales cycles. Example: IT services. Some industries require more education. Example: Medical services. Build your strategy considering your industry and your competitors.
Example: Your industry plays a big role in your social media strategy. Consider a marketing agency versus a financial advisor. There are a ton of marketing agencies online. It’s much harder to stand out. A financial advisor may have to be less creative to reach his/her audience.
R for resources: Consider the resources at your disposal. Example: You can only dedicate 2 hours a week. Your time, personnel, and budget are big factors in your strategy.
Example: Large businesses with large teams are likelier to win because they have the budget and personnel to try until it works.
O for Offer: High-ticket services require a completely different strategy than low-ticket services. B2B requires a different strategy than B2C.
Example: Low-ticket services require a high volume of clients. In other words, you need to reach as many people as possible. It’s more about quantity. High-ticket services have longer sales cycles and require more in-depth educational content.
What would you recommend to someone who wants to become a social media professional?
If you want to work in social media, there are two things you should know.
#1. You should never charge hourly.
When you just get started, you might work for free. And that’s fine. However, many agency owners forget to adjust their prices as they 1) get more experience, 2) get results for their clients, and 3) because they’re scared. Do not fall into that trap. You will burn out overdelivering while being underpaid. It’s not good for anyone.
#2. You need to get results.
The BEST way to get more clients – the BEST way to make money – is to get results for your clients. If you can prove to your clients that you are essential to their business, they will never want to leave. That is how you grow your business – a high retention rate + new clients = success. My clients stay with me on average for 11 months. (I only recently launched my business, so it could actually take longer.) This is how I doubled revenue in year 2 of business.
Any brands that you love and feel like are nailing having a unique, interesting voice online?
Female Startup Club on Instagram – The founder, Doone Roisin, created a community for female founders. She has a podcast interviewing female business founders and has products helping those who start e-commerce businesses. I love hearing about how women worldwide are killing it in their space. But they don’t only highlight the good. The featured founders also discuss their failures and lessons they learned, which are very helpful for those in similar businesses. Overall, the account just feels like a safe space with interesting stories and killer memes.
Steven Bartlett’s Diary of a CEO Podcast’s TikTok – The podcast grew so quickly through social media that people wondered how it was possible. People also loved the promo videos for each episode. Marketing Director Grace Andrews is the mastermind behind the rise of the DOAC Podcast. Their video storytelling was key in how we at Marketing Bound upgraded our video scripting and editing. Many gurus brag about doing things quickly, whereas DOAC content demonstrates effort and time-consuming posts. It was a great reminder that putting in more effort than others is not bad!
Finding out about Grace is also a fairytale for those working in social media. I used to be an employee who always had to work within limited marketing budgets. This story is about when you have access to resources – what is possible when you are trusted to be creative. So many social media managers work under people who still don’t understand the power of social media. It’s limiting to their businesses as well as the social media managers.
Tyler Chou, The Creators Attorney, on LinkedIn – Tyler caught my attention on LinkedIn because she talks about the legal side of being a creator/influencer in the U.S.A. I am not an influencer. I don’t live in the U.S. but still read her content. She provides a perception of an industry that no one else has. It’s a great reminder that the more unique your angle is, the more attention you will get. For example, social media managers are one in a million. Still, if we provide context, our story, our wins, and our failures, suddenly, we start standing out because we don’t sound like everyone else. Tyler works in an industry field that gets her a lot of attention. It’s up to us to find out how to stand out – for ourselves and our clients.
What are your favorite tools?
Metricool – I cannot stress how Metricool is the best social media scheduler tool. I have tried dozens of tools. All of them were disappointing and missing features. Metricool allows me to manage multiple clients more easily, schedule to multiple platforms, and get my clients to approve content through the tool. There are SO many features for the price point. The BEST tool for every marketing agency.
SmartSuite – SmartSuite is like AirTable but more aesthetic and less techy. As a marketer, this is perfect. This tool is so affordable. I manage my contractors, my content, and all my clients’ content in SmartSuite. They have a great freemium package. I highly recommend trying it.
Onlinejobs.ph – This is a secret platform I didn’t think I would share. This is where I find all my contractors. The contractors are located in the Philippines. They are so hardworking, and I plan to turn many of them into full-time employees.
And last but not least, where are all the places people can find you?
- MarketingBound.com
- LinkedIn – Let’s connect here! 🙂
- YouTube
- TikTok
